What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Other. Population: Diabetic cardiomyopathy (high glucose-induced myocardial injury). Intervention: Curcumin vs. High glucose alone. Primary outcome: Cell viability, ROS production, and apoptosis (p=<0.05).

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to explore how curcumin can protect heart cells from injury caused by high glucose levels in diabetes.

June 14, 2026Frontiers in PharmacologyOpen Access

Curcumin protects high glucose-induced diabetic myocardial injury by regulating Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT pathways

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Curcumin protected primary cardiomyocytes against high glucose-induced injury by reducing ROS production and apoptosis via activation of the Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

Q: What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to explore how curcumin can protect heart cells from injury caused by high glucose levels in diabetes.

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Key result

Curcumin protects cardiomyocytes against high-glucose injury by reducing ROS and apoptosis via Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT activation.

P<0.05

Why the study?

Hyperglycemia-induced excessive ROS contributes to diabetic cardiomyopathy, but the protective mechanisms of curcumin against this cardiomyocyte injury required elucidation.

Does curcumin protect primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes from high glucose-induced injury?

Population

Primary cardiomyocytes exposed to high glucose

Comparison

Curcumin treatment vs high-glucose conditions

Design

In vitro laboratory study

Authors

ZXZeYue XuChina Pharmaceutical University ZQZhuangYin QuChina Pharmaceutical University XWXia WuChina Pharmaceutical University

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Curcumin may attenuate hyperglycemia-induced cardiomyocyte injury in vitro; leaves open clinical translation in diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Key Points

This research aims to explore how curcumin can protect heart cells from injury caused by high glucose levels in diabetes.
Constructed a high-glucose model using primary cardiomyocytes
Measured cell viability and antioxidant activity using various assays
Analyzed protein expression levels through western blotting
Curcumin increased cardiomyocyte viability by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activity under high glucose conditions
CUR reduced ROS production and apoptosis, stabilizing mitochondrial membrane potential
CUR upregulated Nrf2, PI3K, AKT, and Bcl-2 while downregulating Bax, indicating a protective mechanism against cardiac injury

Structured PICO

Does curcumin protect primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes from high glucose-induced injury?

Population

In vitro study utilizing primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes exposed to high glucose to model diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Intervention

Curcumin (CUR) at various concentrations (optimal 40 μM) for up to 48 hours.

Comparator

Untreated high-glucose (HG) cells, normal glucose control, and lentiviral knockdown controls (shRNA NC, shRNA-Nrf2).

Outcome

Cell viability, ROS production, antioxidant enzyme activity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis.surrogate

Main Result

p-value: p=<0.05

Curcumin protects against high glucose-induced cardiomyocyte injury by activating the Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, suggesting therapeutic potential for diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Limitations

Further studies using animal models of DCM are necessary to confirm these findings in vivo.
The precise molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT remain incompletely understood.
The precise molecular mechanisms linking Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT activation to the regulation of Bcl-2 family members remain to be fully elucidated.
Further studies using primary cardiomyocytes or animal models of DCM are necessary to confirm these findings.
Precise molecular mechanisms underlying Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT interaction remain incompletely understood.
Precise molecular mechanisms linking Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT activation to the regulation of Bcl-2 family members remain to be fully elucidated.

Cite This Study

Xu et al. (2026) studied Diabetic cardiomyopathy (high glucose-induced myocardial injury). Curcumin vs. High glucose alone was evaluated on Cell viability, ROS production, and apoptosis (p=<0.05). Curcumin protected primary cardiomyocytes against high glucose-induced injury by reducing ROS production and apoptosis via activation of the Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2e69a9bde31496c9a7a6eb https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2026.1752397

Topics

Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiac Remodeling

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Curcumin protects high glucose-induced diabetic myocardial injury by regulating Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT pathways

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Cite This Study

Topics

Curcumin protects high glucose-induced diabetic myocardial injury by regulating Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT pathways

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Topics

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